God's Reward
by Fujiwara no Seimei
Summary: Touya Kouyo has been granted the reward of hosting the ghost of Fujiwara no Sai-but for a limited time. As Akira grows closer to Hikaru as they manage Sai's time and games, Hikaru will need him even more when he has to say goodbye to Sai a second time.
1. Chapter 1 Arrival

Title: God's Reward

Author: Fujiwara no Seimei

Rating: All ages

Pairings: None yet

Spoilers: YES

Summary: Touya Kouyo has been granted the reward of hosting the ghost of Fujiwara no Sai. Shindou Hikaru is thrilled that his friend has returned- if only for a limited time- but Touya Akira is frustrated that he alone is left out of the knowledge of Sai's existance. Over time, Touya Akira will learn that he is part of the privilage of knowing the truth about Sai, and that Shindou is not only a rival, but an important friend.

°•°•°•°•°

* * *

Touya Kouyo, former Mejin, sat at his Goban in the middle of the night. He did this frequently, with the black stones on his side, and the white stones on the other. He had placed his first hand, and waited, fruitlessly, for his invisible opponent to place his move.

This activity had perplexed his son, Touya Akira 4-dan. Akira had wondered why his father sat, silently, with stones on the other side of the board that he could not reach. When he first saw it, he asked silently, "Whose hand are you waiting for, father?"

Tonight was the night that the answer would come.

On this moonless night, Akira was sound asleep. Kouyo was locked in his regular invisible battle, into the third hour of the morning, when a voice spoke.

"God has seen fit to reward both of us, Touya Kouyo."

He looked up into the dark room, and saw the faint glow of a figure sitting on the other side of the Goban. Was he dressed in Heian-era costume? He could only see him from the elbows down. His face was totally obscured by darkness. He waited for an elaboration from his visitor.

"Touya Kouyo, to reward my patience in his plan to lead Shindou Hikaru to go, as well as your unfaltering pursuit of the highest go, he has granted me one year back on this earth."

Kouyo was thoughtful for a moment.

"You are Sai."

The figure answered his question with silence. "300 nights you've sat awake at this Goban. 1000 years I've waited to bring Hikaru to Go. Tomorrow, you and I shall both be rewarded with our one wish granted. We will be able to play another game."

Kouyo remained in deep contemplation of his current affair. He was focused on absorbing the spirits every missive.

"Touya Kouya, fetch my Goban from Hikaru Shindou. It is then that we will be permitted to play."

Immediately after this directive, Kouyo was suddenly sucked into the daylight. He was startled awake to find his son touching his shoulder.

"Father! Honestly!" Akira hissed, "What if mother sees you asleep at the goban again?"

Kouyo blinked. Was it a dream? No, it was a message.

"Akira-kun," he said, eyes fixed on the goban before him.

"Father?"

"Summon your friend Shindou Hikaru immediately. And instruct him to bring Sai's goban."

"Sai's... father, are you sure you know what you're-"

"Akira!" He growled. "Precious moments are being wasted. Bring him to me at once."

Akira stumbled back at his father's orders. He had never seen his father so stern. Collecting himself on the way, he ran out of the room to call Shindou.

°•°•°•°•°

* * *

"He said what?" Hikaru grunted from his end of the phone, rubbing his bleary 7 AM eyes.

"He insisted that you come over with 'Sai's goban.' Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

Hikaru was silent.

"Shindou..." Akira began, nervously biting his lip, "Shindou... what knowledge... do you share with my father... that you don't share with me?"

"Touya, listen, don't-" Hikaru stammered, but Akira instantly changed from frightened to fierce.

"Shindou! What is wrong with you? _I'm_ the one who has been waiting patiently- silently- for the explanation you promised me. Yet my father knows what your connection is to Sai?"

"No! Touya, he doesn't! I have no idea how he knows about Sai's goban. That's something only I know. Please believe me. I'm as perplexed as you right now."

"I highly doubt that, Shindou," Akira growled.

Hikaru huffed. Akira was being a brat.

"I'll be over in a half-hour. Maybe then we can _all_ learn what the hell is going on."

"We better," Akira said, after hanging up with a punctuated 'click.'

°•°•°•°•°

* * *

"I'm entering!" Shindou hollared from the doorway of the Touya residence. Normally, he was greeted politely by Touya Akira, or sometimes his mother, but today, no one there to greet him. Shindou took off his shoes, and lifted the great, antique goban towards Touya Koyo's playing room. There, Kouyo and Akira were waiting, stern-faced.

"Akira-kun, help him with the goban."

Akira obeyed his father silently, standing and reaching out to assist a wheezing Shindou with placing the heavy board on the ground in the center of the room.

Shindou sat on the opposite side of the room, facing the Touyas.

"Touya-sensei, may I ask a question?"

"Yes, Shindou-kun."

"Only I know about the existance of this board, and who its original owner was. I was wondering, how is it that you-?"

"You are not, Shindou." he replied, cutting Hikaru off. "The other person who knows is Sai himself. He is the one who told me where to find it."

Hikaru and Akira both leapt up.

"You spoke to him, father!?"

"Where is he! How did you speak to him?" Hikaru shouted.

Kouyo responded to neither of the young boy's inquiries. Instead, he positioned himself in front of the Goban, opened up both bowls of stones.

Hikaru's mind flooded with joy at the oportunity to see speak with Sai again, but mere feet away, Akira was beginning to feel torturously excluded from today's happenings.

Kouyo placed the black in front of him and the white on the opposite side. Hikaru and Akira stood in awe and anticipation and Kouyo lifted a stone and placed it on the board, which a solid and resounding 'pa-chi!'

With that action, Sai was summoned. The room lit up, much in the way that it had, Hikaru recalled, when he himself set Sai loose years ago. Except this time, he couldn't see anything, let alone Sai. He couldn't see Kouyo, and he couldn't see Akira.

"Father! Where are you? Shindou!"

Hikaru felt a hand smack against his arm, and then he was grabbed as if a drowning person was clinging to him for buoyancy. Hikaru grabbed on to Akira's shoulders and the two sat in awed, clinging silence under those flashing, ethereal lights. Neither could see Kouyo or the Goban, or anything besides one another, for that matter.

After a minute, the lights faded, and reality came into view again. Kouyo and the Goban materialized along with the rest of the scenery, and sound.

"...I think it has to be," Kouyo finished saying to the empty space in front of him.

There was a pause.

Akira and Hikaru slowly turned toward each other, and after a delayed moment of recognizing just how tightly they clung to one another, they scampered apart and stammered incomprehensible apologies out of scarlet red faces.

After another beat, Hikaru's eyes became fixed on the space behind the goban.

"Well, you can't fool him, anyway. And if anyone else deserves to know, it's Akira."

Akira lept up. "I..." he stammered, before realizing Koyo was not actualy paying attention to him. Why wasn't anyone telling him what was going on? He sat down again.

"We can deal with those issues as they come. Right now, I think someone wants to speak to you very badly." Kouyo turned to Shindou, whose eyes began welling up with tears.

"Sai...can...can you see me?"

Kouyo looked at Sai, then at Shindou, and nodded.

"Sai!" He shouted. His determined, heart broken stare pierced through the space behind the goban, but revealed nothing. "W... why can't I see you!?"

After a listening pause, Kouyo said "Because he is in my conciousness this time, Hikaru, not yours. You can't see him any more than Akira, or anyone else could when he was with you."

"Sai is there?" Akira yelped, thoroughly distraught, confused, and frustrated at being left out of the affair. He frantically looked back and forth at Hikaru and Kouyo, the latter of which took note and replied, "Yes, Akira. He is there."

"Only you can see him?" Akira asked.

"Sai, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I didn't let you play!" Hikaru cried, ignoring Akira's inquiries. "I'd take you back in an instant, I swear! Please... please forgive me!"

"Hikaru, I forgive you," Touya said, repeating Sai's dictation. "You have nothing to apologize for. I didn't leave because you didn't let me play. I left because my mission on this plane was complete."

Hikaru relaxed, and wiped his eyes. "Why are you back? How?"

"I was rewarded by God for my patience, and was allowed to return for one year. I was able to choose my host, and I chose Touya Kouyo."

Hikaru began to tear up again.

"Someone, please!" Akira shouted, gnarling his hair in his fists.

"Akira," Kouyo began, gently nodding his head in apology for ignoring his son. "Sai says he is very pleased, and honored, to finally address you."

Akira sat down on his knees and fixed his gaze on the space that Kouyo and Hikaru had been looking at. He took a deep breath, adjusting to the idea of addressing an invisible person, and bowed, saying "I am honored to be in your presence."

Though he should have been fulfilled with respect and opportunity, Akira was brimming with fear and anger. He had pursued Sai with all of his might, and among the three people in the room, he was the only one never to have caught him. Though he had come to respect Shindou, right now, all he could wonder was why that _uncultured oaf_ had the privilage of knowing Sai, and he did not.

In the next few moments, Touya Kouyo placed a white stone, and then another black. Shindou scooted over to the goban to watch what would surely be another legendary game. Akira, by all accounts, should have been interested as well, but all he could think about was the unfairness. He couldn't think about the opportunities, or the revelation of the truth.

All he could feel was left out.

°•°•°•°•°

* * *

-End of Chapter One-

Reviews welcome.


	2. Chapter 2 Dissemination

God's Reward: Chapter 2

°•°•°•°•°

Akira could not concentrate on watching the game. He was fuming inside, wretched with self-proclaimed injustice. The fact that Shindou was so engrossed in the game between Sai and his father only made him angrier. Why wouldn't anyone explain to him what was going on? Why did he have to learn this way- knowing only because he was an inconvenient bystander? Fed up with his own fury, he excused himself and hurried to his room.

Shindou could tell that Akira was upset, but he had no idea why. Shindou was thrilled that Sai was back on earth, and would get to play more games, just as he wished, and with Kouyo, as he had dreamed. Shindou could share his victories with him. And Akira would be able to also- to play with Sai, and share his victories with him as well.

Shindou was very interested in the battle unfolding in front of him, but as time passed he grew increasingly distraught with the knowledge that Akira was close by, being upset all by himself. A younger Hikaru would have let him be, but today's 17 year old Hikaru not only respected his rival, but, in the end, also cared for his well-being. He finally gave in, excused himself, and followed after Akira. He would ask Kouyo really, really nicely to document the game later.

Hikaru shuffled down the hall to Akira's room. He had only been a guest in this home a few times over the past year, but he knew his way around fine. He found Akira's door firmly shut.

"Hey, Touya-kun?" he called.

Only silence answered.

"Touya..." Hikaru started again, sliding the door open slightly. Akira was lying on the floor, his face tucked into his arms on the tatami.

A bitter, childish part of Akira wanted to tell Hikaru to go away, but the adult part of him knew that Hikaru was who he needed to speak with the most. He gritted his teeth, heaved a sigh, and sat up.

"Come in, Shindou."

This was the first time Hikaru had been in Akira's room not to play go. He had played in here, twice, when Akira's father was using the playing room, and Hikaru was shooed out when the discussion was over. He surveyed the space and became a little self conscious. He was in Akira's personal space now. Whatever happened here, now, was beyond their professional relationship.

"Touya-kun. You're...upset about something?"

Akira looked up at his friend. He had wanted to yell at him a bit, but Hikaru was looking at him with genuine concern, tinged with nervousness. They had never talked about their personal problems with one another before, and so this situation was quite unlike any interaction they had before. He could not, however, wipe the composed scowl from his face. He glared up at Hikaru, and just barely nodded, before turning his gaze down again.

Hikaru figeted. Akira's room was traditional, so there was no bed to sit on. He would have to sit on the floor. He kneeled in front of Akira and tried to meet his eyes.

"What's...um. What's wrong, Touya?" he stammered awkwardly.

Touya's eyes shot up and pierced Hikaru.

"Tell me," he said. "Tell me everything about you and Sai or I swear I am never playing go with you again."

Hikaru jumped, terrified by Akira's demeanor as well as his ultimatum. He did not need to be threatened to share the story, and that was a pretty childish thing to come out of his rival's mouth. But he could tell how serious Akira was, and so he didn't mention that.

Hikaru stretched his legs, and told Akira everything. He told him how he discovered Sai, how he wandered into Akira's salon and trounced him twice. How he came to love the game himself, and then allowed Sai to play online. How he progressed, and how Sai disappeared. How he avoided go, and how he came back to it, knowing that he had absorbed Sai's go into his own. He went on to mention his post Honinbo-league game dream, and elaborated on his defense of Shuusaku during the Hokuto Cup.

By the end of his story, Hikaru was laying on the floor, his arms tucked behind his head as he spoke to the ceiling. When he was finished, he turned his head to look at Akira, who was cross-legged, and had his chin in his hand. Hikaru wasn't sure what he was supposed to say next, but Akira's distant gaze informed him that he was thoughtfully considering Shindou's story.

"Why couldn't you tell me before?" Akira finally asked.

"Why?" Hikaru gaped, rolling over onto his arms. "Akira, if I told you Sai was a ghost and that he was stuck in my brain, would you have honestly believed me?"

Akira was pensive for a moment, and, with a nod of affirmation, said "Probably."

"Yeah, right," Hikaru scoffed, turning away from Akira. "You can't blame me for keeping my ghost story to myself."

They were silent for a few minutes. Hikaru wondered what was supposed to happen next, and then remembered that he was here because Akira was upset. He sat up and faced him.

"So," he began. "What about you?"

"What?" Akira asked, a little struck.

"Why were you so angry?"

What followed was a new experience for Akira, but not for Hikaru. Hikaru had lots of close friends, who had shared their worries, angers, and feelings with him. Isumi had complained about Waya's attitue. Waya had shared his insecurities about Akira. Akari had admitted her feelings for him, and when he turned them down, they continued to be friends and share advice and guidance. Hikaru had, in turn, shared his feelings with them too. He was pretty much a pro when it came to friendships.

But Akira did not have a circle of peers to communicate with. He had only a professional relationship with Ochi and others his age. He certainly did not share himself with Ogata, or Kurata, or anyone that was essentially closer to his 'level.' He had never shared his vulnerabilities before.

But, he supposed, if he could share them with anyone, Hikaru was the one.

Akira's heart lightened a bit, and he felt a warm feeling take over his senses. Before he even began to speak, he realized, that to be a real friend, you needed to expose a vulnerable part of yourself. It was frightening, for sure, but it was also...freeing.

"I felt left out," he began. His brain stumbled as a hot feeling crept over his ears. "I was...well. You and father were being so familiar with Sai. And no one would tell me what was happening." He paused, trying to determine why he had actually been angry. "I felt like a bystander that only accidentally got to learn about Sai. I don't know...I..." Akira had realized, at this point, that his anger had mostly faded. "I didn't feel like I had been determined worthy enough to... I mean, I was jealous of you and..."

"Touya, you're...all red," Hikaru said.

"Wh...well. I'm embarrassed."

"You're embarrassed?"

"I...acted childish. I'm embarrassed by my behavior. Shindou! Don't laugh at me!"

Sure enough, Hikaru had begun chuckling.

"Shindou! Shut up! This is hard!"

Hikaru came down from a hearty laugh and wiped his eye. "I'm sorry, Touya, is this your first time?"

"My first time **what**, Shindou?" Akira fumed.

"Being embarrassed?"

Akira was almost at his limit. He felt like he was about to cry. He wondered, 'is this what happens when you expose yourself?'

"Shindou...stop...stop making fun of me. I don't..."

Hikaru leaned forward and hugged his friend's head to his chest. Akira blinked into Hikaru's red and black tshirt. His neck ached, as it was a rather uncomfortable and awkward position. "Shindou?"

Hikaru sighed, and patted Akira's head. "Idiot."

Akira wrenched himself out of Hikaru's grasp.

"IDIOT? Shindou, why do you call me names every time I let my guard down?!"

Hikaru just leaned back on his hands and laughed some more. Akira's indignity faded quicky as he watched Hikaru's smiling face. Hikaru had his own, stupid way of comforting his friends.

And for the first time, that's what Akira felt they were.

Friends.

°•°•°•°•°

The next couple of days were so exciting that Akira and Hikaru almost forgot to go to their Meijin league games. Kouyo had cancelled his appointments for the next few days, and Hikaru had told his mother that he would be staying at Akira's for a while. As soon as either was done with a public engagement, Akira and Hikaru would hurry back to the Touya home to watch and participate in Sai's games.

Hikaru had been proud to show Sai how far he had come, but was still no match. Akira, on the other hand, gave Sai a run for his money, but still lost. Only Kouyo was real competition for Sai, and from what Kouyo relayed to the boys, Sai was having the time of his life. Or afterlife. None of them were quite sure how to classify it.

On the third evening after Sai's return, after dinner, Kouya felt it necessary to have a talk with Akira and Hikaru.

"You boys will have to return to your normal lives, you know," he began.

"Father, I don't know what's normal for Shindou, but I do live here." Akira retorted.

"What do you mean you don't know what's normal for me?" Shindou huffed.

"You do, but you should resume what you did before you came home and watched Sai's games with your every waking moment," Kouyo replied, ignoring Hikaru.

"Well what are you going to do? You have a burden along with this opportunity, father."

Kouyo was thoughtful for a moment.

"I've been considering it, and speaking with Sai. I think the best thing to do now is for me to go back to my normal life as well. I can let Sai play on the internet in the evenings, and the three of us can certainly schedule matches with Sai as we would with anyone else."

"There's only a year, Touya-sensei!" Hikaru shouted. "How does Sai feel?"

Kouyo nodded, "He understands that its my body he's borrowing. A few games a day should be sufficient.

Following that, they did resume their normal lives, but only mostly. The first issue came up when Sai mentioned that he wanted to play a game with 'the man called Ogata," and they subsequently wondered how Sai would be able to challenge other people. Akira was the one to come up with a solution.

"What if we made Sai a fake email?" he asked.

"What's an eemale?" Sai asked Kouyo.

"What do you mean?" Shindou asked.

"Well, he can only play on the internet, right? Why not develop his whole identity there? We can make an email account for him, and from there, he can issue challenges. Through us...father, I mean."

"Sai," Koyuo said, "The light-up box, as you call it, is called a computer. People do lots of things on it other then play go. They can send messages, and get news. On it, you can also make a mailbox, from which you can send messages to other people through the box. So you could send a challenge to Ogata."

"I can talk to Ogata!?" Sai squealed.

Kouyo chuckled. "Akira-kun, I think he likes the e-mail idea."

Gathered around the computer, Akira opened up the webpage for an email client he liked.

"Sai, what should your email name be?"

"Email name?" Sai asked Kouyo.

"Hmm. Like when you picked the name "Sai" to play go on the computer. You need to pick a name."

"Can't I use Sai again?"

"He wants you to try Sai, Akira."

"That won't work, I'm sure someone's got that already," Hikaru said.

"Yes, it's taken. Can you think of something longer? Perhaps your full name?"

"Fujiwara no Sai, he says, Akira."

"Ah. That works. .jp. That will be your email."

"Can I challenge him now? Oh, oh," Sai squealed.

"Oh, let me find Ogata's email," Akira said.

And so a routine began. While their lives returned mostly to normal, Akira would convene with his father in the evening to answer and send emails, sometimes with Hikaru looking on, if he had been able to make it. After challenges had consummated with Ogata, and Kurata, and even Kuwabara (with some help from Kuwabara's assistant), and people saw Sai's name appear on NetGo again, his email had spread around like wildfire, and Sai had more challenges than he could handle. Waya had managed to get a hold of the address and was particularly impatient for a match, asexpressed through multiple emails.

Throughout all of this, Hikaru had become a staple in Akira's home. Kouyo had tried to explain to his wife that he had taken Shindou on as a disciple, to explain his frequent appearances.

"He also seems to be a good friend to Akira," he had whispered to her. "So lets take good care of him."

Across the house, in the computer room, Hikaru was leaning over Akira's shoulder as they responded to an email from Waya.

"How about, 'I'm happy to accept your challenge. But in turn, I request that you brush your hair,'" Akira chuckled.

Hikaru burst out laughing. "Yes, yes, say that please! Then write, 'Also, I regret to inform you that camoflage prints are 20 years out of style.'

"Pffft, ha ha...Shindou, this is awful. I can't really write that stuff!" Akira took a moment to recover from laughing.

"But it would be amazing if we could actually write it," Hikaru said. "Could you imagine the look on his face!" He began laughing all over again.

Akira could not remember the last time he had smiled so much, until Sai returned and he began spending time with Hikaru. His face hurt from the laughter.

His mind had wandered only for a second when Hikaru's hand landed on his shoulder, and he was jolted back into the present.

Looking at the screen, Hikaru said, "Alright, well, anyway. He's got an open time on Sunday, right?"

Akira turned to look up at his friend, who seemed to be treating his shoulder with no more consideration than the edge of a desk or chair. Did Hikaru not realize that he was touching him?

"What? Oh, sorry-" Hikaru said, moving his hand.

Akira smiled.

Since the moment he arrived, five years ago, Sai had been bringing Akira and Hikaru closer together.

Now, they shared a secret. The knowledge of Sai had become precious to them, and had even a farther distance to take them, as time went on.

°•°•°•°•°

End of chapter two.

Note: The seriousness is mostly over. It'll be more fun from here on out, and Waya and Isumi make their entrances in chapter 3! Thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3 Proliferation

God's Reward: Chapter 3

Isumi had become concerned with Hikaru over the past couple of weeks. Isumi was the patient, observant type, and so he was the first out of the group to notice that something about Hikaru and Akira had changed. All Waya could notice was that Hikaru seemed to have less time for him.

"He blew me off- _again_!" Waya fumed between sips of coffee. "I haven't even been able to talk to him about the game I had with Sai last weekend." He sipped again. "WHAT THE HELL is he doing that he can't play a game with me in nine days???"

"Why don't you ask him?" Isumi responded calmly.

"What?"

"Call him. Ask him what he's been up to. Honestly, I don't understand why you people don't talk to each other when something bothers you." He took a drink of his tea.

Waya stared at his coffee.

"But I do wonder," Isumi continued.

"What are you thinking?" Waya asked.

Isumi considered for a second whether he should bring up his observation or not. "Have you seen Akira, lately?"

"What? No more often than usual, Isumi."

"No, I mean, haven't you noticed how he's different?"

Waya thought about it for a moment.

"He's really cheery lately, right? Like, smiling and stuff. Super creepy."

"Yeah. But the thing is..."

"Isumi, what?"

"Waya, don't repeat this to anyone, okay?"

"Whu- sure, of course. What is it?"

"I've been watching the two of them. Once and a while, they will look and one another, and they'll get these smug, goofy smiles. It's as if they..." Isumi paused, looking for the right words. "It's as if they know something that the rest of us don't."

Waya bit down on his lip. Was Isumi implying something? Surely he wasn't the type to think that far into something like a couple of smiles.

After a long moment, Waya pulled out his phone.

"Alright, Isumi. I'll ask him," he said.

He dialed Hikaru's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello? Waya?"

"Hey jerk, since you're busy tonight, can we play tomorrow afternoon?"

"Oh. Hmm. No, I'm busy tomorrow, Waya. Maybe another time?"

Waya closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Can... can I ask what you're doing, Shindou?"

"Oh, yeah, well, I just have plans with Akira, is all. I gotta go Waya, I'll call you after tomorrow."

After the hurried 'click', Waya lowered the phone slowly, and stared up at Isumi.

"Wh...what did he say Waya?" Isumi stammered, taken aback by Waya's stare.

"He... called him... Akira."

°•°•°•°•°

Hikaru's mother has raised the proposition yesterday. She stopped him on his way out of the door, heading back to Akira's house.

"Hikaru? Please wait, let me ask you something."

"Moooooom, what is it?"

"You're going to Touya-kun's house again, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I told you, he's really good so we play a lot of games together."

"But he's your friend as well, right? You're not only... you don't only spend time together to play, right?"

Hikaru scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess we're friends."

"Then why don't you bring him over here one night. You're always over there, when was the last time we had a meal together? If you need to play with him so often, please bring him here, okay?"

Hikaru would usually complain to his mother that she was being too pushy or annoying, but Akira's voice popped into his head. 'Shindou! How can you talk to you mother like that? Call her back and speak to her nicely!' Since that tirade, he had been slightly- and only slightly- more conscious of how he treated his mother.

"Yeah, I guess I'll ask him." While it made more sense to be in the house where Sai and the computer were, it would be pretty rude if he never ate dinner at his own home again.

"Okay, I'll go now. I'll be back tomorrow, and maybe I'll bring Akira with me."

"Goodbye Hikaru."

Sure enough, Akira was delighted by the idea. He had never stayed over at a friends house over night. On account of never having a friend to do it with before Hikaru.

And that's why Hikaru had blown off Waya.

"Mom, we're home! I brought Touya!"

"Oh, Hikaru, how wonderful. Hello, Touya-kun, it's nice to finally meet you."

"You as well, thank you for allowing me to stay tonight."

"Oh, certainly," she said, turning and beckoning them into the kitchen with her, "anything to have Hikaru home for a night."

Akira laughed. The feeling of Hikaru's family was very different from his own. Much more casual.

As Akira wandered forward slowly, she stared around the entrance and peeked into the rooms, examining.

"Hey," Shindou said. "Don't compare."

"I'm not," Akira lied. He was comparing, but he wasn't judging. It was certainly smaller than his house, but it was also a more modern home, not like his traditional place.

They sat down for dinner after Shindou's mother called them again.

Shindou's mother made a tasty, simple, fried rice dinner with miso soup, tempura, and salad ('Mom, why don't you make a feast this big when Touya _isn't_ here?" he had remarked), and they made small talk.

"Shindou Okaa-san, has Shindou-kun been telling you about his games?" Akira asked.

"Oh, no," she said.

"She doesn't understand that kind of stuff," Hikaru added, stuffing his face.

"I don't really understand it either," Hikaru's father said, "but someone at work told me that you and Hikaru are doing really well in the... Meijin League?"

"Yeah! We're both undefeated. It's going really well!" Hikaru beamed.

"But we play each other next Saturday," Akira said, "so that will have to end for one of us."

"Oh," Hikaru's mother said. "That must be terrible, having to play one another."

"Not at all," Akira explained, "playing an official match with one another is the most exciting part."

Hikaru smiled. It was true. Though they were rivals, and they wanted to win, playing one another had always been more important than beating one another. And playing offical games was an experience totally unlike playing any other games. When Akira and Hikaru sat down to play a league match- they became different people. They became their go- the identites that drew them to one another from the very beginning.

"It's the best part, mom. Playing offical games."

"Hikaru gained his 2-dan level three weeks ago, did you celebrate?" Akira continued.

"2-dan? Why no, Touya-kun, I don't even know what that means."

"Shindou! Have you even tried explaining what you do to your parents?"

"Don't chide me. They don't understand."

"Shindou, of course they don't understand if you don't even try to tell them about it," Akira huffed.

"Oh lay off," Hikaru grumbled. He tried to hold his own in a short staring match, but quickly resigned. He sighed.

"Hey, mom. Did you know that Touya-kun's father is a world famous go player? He held a lot of titles."

"Really? What are titles?"

As Hikaru began to explain the go world from the top down, Akira smiled. For a family so giving, he had never understood why Shindou treated his family so coldly. He was happy to see Hikaru open up to them.

"And you two are playing to get THAT title, huh?" Shindou's mother cooed.

"Ha ha... yeah, it's pretty cool huh?"

"Thats very cool! Very, very cool!" His father concurred.

Hikaru was so excited from talking about go with his parents that he literally dragged Akira upstairs after dinner to play a game.

"Shindou, don't pull, I'm coming!"

Akira found Hikaru's room to be small, and pretty tidy considering what he'd expected to see.

As Hikaru hopped over to the goban, he stared at it for a moment.

"What's up, Shindou?" Akira asked.

"I do wish we were over with Sai, you know," he replied, sadness tinging his voice.

Suddenly, Akira felt a pang of heartache. But what he didn't realize yet, was that it wasn't Hikaru's heartache he felt. It was his own.

"Son't worry, there's still time. Besides, I'm right in front of you, and you need to get past me now."

Hikaru's face lit up at the challenge. "You bet! I'm gonna win this one for sure!" he chuckled under his breath. "Heh, heh, I've got the home team advantage, this time!"

Something in Akira's heart continued to ache a little longer, but he ignored it in the face of the game in front of him.

°•°•°•°•°

"Shindou, get your face off of the goban," Akira deadpanned, criticizing the manner in which Hikaru had reacted to his defeat.

"So much for the home team advantage," Hikaru mumbled, grumpily.

"Shindou."

"It's my goban, I'll rub my face all over it if I want to."

"You're being a child."

Hikaru lifted his head, with three stones stuck to his cheek, each falling off on their own time. Akira tried to stifle a burst of laugher, and failed, allowing a strange snort to pass his nose.

"Shut up," he said, rubbing his indented cheek. He reached over onto his bed and picked up his cell phone. He flipped it open to check the email he had ignored during the game.

The message read: "Hey jerk. Isumi and I want to go to the arcade with you sometime this millennium. Let us know when you're free."

Hikaru grumbled.

"What is it, Shindou?" Akira asked, stanging up and stretching his legs.

"Mmm, I was thinking. Wondering, actually, what do you think of Waya and Isumi?"

Akira turned, puzzled. "Well, obviously I think they're very capable players, Isumi moreso, but neither are really up to your level."

"No, no, Touya." Hikaru stood up to face him. "Not about their go. About _them_."

Akira paused thoughtfully. "Shindou, I don't know. I don't know much about them. Waya doesn't seem to like me much, but Isumi seems to respect me just as well..."

"Touya!" Hikaru huffed, startling his friend. "One more time. What do _you_ think of _them_? Not the other way around."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Waya seems genuine, but like kind of a short tempered brat, and Isumi I could get along with but he's kind of a pushover, especially when it comes to Waya." He crossed his arms. "Is that what you were looking for?"

"Yes! Finally! You're stubborn sometimes, you know?" Hikaru dropped himself on his bed with a flop. Akira rolled his eyes, still not sure why Hikaru had demanded that information from him.

"So, listen, I felt bad about not keeping any of my meetings with Waya, so I was thinking of going out with them tomorrow night."

"Yes? Well, you don't have to ask me permission or anything, Shindou."

Hikaru sat up. "I'm not asking your permission, stupid. I was wondering if you'd come too."

Akira was taken aback. "What...well..." he paused. "What do you do when you go out? Is it something I'd like?"

Hikaru sighed. Was Touya really that out of touch?

Akira sat next to him on the bed.

"We usually go to the arcade. Get a snack, sing karaoke, play some games. Ramen, if I manage to win a bet or something against Waya. Then we will wind up at Isumi's place because he has video games."

"No go?"

"Wh- no. No go, Touya."

"Hmm."

"Touya!"

"Fine, fine. I'll go. I guess I'll get a chance to learn more about your friends, in any case."

"Oh, yeah, and while you're at it, maybe you could, I don't know, _enjoy yourself_ a little bit."

"I enjoy playing _go_, Shindou."

"Oi," Hikaru huffed, defeated. "Anyway, we both have institute games in the morning, and then- ugh... I just want to play with Sai. Do you think there's time to do that in between the matches and going out? We usually meet at 6."

"You can't go two days without playing him?" Akira said.

Hikaru shot up, and met Akira's eyes. His face was full of hurt.

"Ah- I-" Akira began. He had honestly not realized how cold that was to say. "I didn't mean... I mean, not that- I didn't mean to say it that way."

"Jerk," Hikaru said, turning over and away from him on his bed.

Where had that statement come from? Why would he say something so hurtful to his friend?

"I'm sorry, Shindou," Akira said. But only silence answered him.

Akira went over to the goban and cleaned up the since-ignored go stones. After he had finished, Hikaru cut the thick silence.

"He's important to me, Touya. I thought you understood that."

Akira sat next to Hikaru and put his hand on his shoulder. "I know, Shindou."

"He's going to be here for fifty more weeks. That's it! Then he will probably be gone for good."

"I'm sorry, Shindou, you're right."

"He was was my teacher and my friend," he went on.

The heartache came back to Akira, but he once again thought, mistakenly, that it was the ache of empathy.

"We'll fit in a game tomorrow, Shindou."

"Okay," Hikaru replied, quietly.

"Hikaru! Touya-kun! The bath is ready!" Hikaru's mom shouted. Hikaru sat up, and Akira smiled at him.

As Hikaru got up to head to the bath, Akira looked down at the goban, thoughtfully.

'I'm your friend, too,' he thought. 'Please... don't ignore that.'

°•°•°•°•°

The next day's games went fast. Hikaru and Akira both won their Meijin games, continuing their streak. Waya had been knocked out of the league earlier, and Isumi was playing lower dans. People were beginning to anticipate the game between the two young, undefeated go players. Old men in salons were already taking bets. All of their scheduled opponents between now and the game, less than two weeks away, we're terrified of facing these fearsome young opponents.

But none of that weighed on the two today, as they ran from their games back to Akira's home, to manage Sai for a bit and play a game or two with him.

When they arrived, Touya-sensei was not home.

"He's playing with Ogata-sensei today," Touya's mom explained. "He may not be back until dinner time."

That would be too late to play, they both knew. Akira could read the dissapointment on Hikaru's face and gave him a gentle pat on the back.

Hikaru's mood transformed almost too immediately, and with a wide, forced, grin, he proposed they answer some emails and maybe play a game until it was time to go out.

As they shuffled down to the computer room, Akira couldn't shake Hikaru's dissapointed face from his mind. He understood that Hikaru wanted as much time with Sai as was possible fore he left again, but...

A part of Akira spoke in his own mind:

"But what about me? _I'm_ right here."

°•°•°•°•°

End of Chapter Three.

Lets have some slapstick fish-out-of-water antics in the next chapter, huh? I won't let things get too mushy too fast, I promise.


	4. Chapter 4 Keeping Score

God's Reward: Chapter 4

"Akira. You are Not. Going. To wear. An argyle sweater. To the arcade." Hikaru demanded.

"What's wrong with argyle, Shi-" then Akira stopped. Had he called him Akira?

"Seriously. You're going to look like an old man if you wear that to the arcade."

"I do not dress like an old man, Shindou!"

Hikaru managed to get Akira into a plain white t-shirt with a blue short-sleeved overshirt. It was a collared button-up, but it was an _improvement_.

"Don't button it all the way up!" Hikaru intervened, reaching over to stop him from proceeding.

"Shindou! Lay off! Can I just wear my own clothes without you trying to dress me?" he said, gently shooing Hikaru's encroaching hands away from his collar.

"No! You look like a square."

Akira glared. After heaving a sigh, he gave in and undid his buttons.

"Touya, you have to untuck the t-shirt."

"For heavens sakes!"

"Touya!"

"Shindou! I don't want to look like a _slob_."

Akira's face had turned a little red from humiliation, and moreso when he looked Hikaru up and down, considering that if he felt like a slob, than what Hikaru was wearing must make him look like a downright hobo.

Akira crossed his arms. "Do I have to?

"Yes," Hikaru said through his teeth. What was wrong with untucked T-shirts?

°•°•°•°•°

Hikaru and Akira arrived slightly early the the arcade complex they had specified the night before. The Sega game building had four floors, and was, conveniently, right around the corner from several cafes and a karaoke-room building.

"Yo! Shindou!" Waya shouted. He jogged over to them, Isumi trailing behind at a slow walk. Waya's pace slowed as he got closer, twisting his face up in disbelief.

"Is that Touya?"

Akira stiffened, raising an eyebrow at Waya. "You can ask me, instead of Shindou, you know."

"In a t-shirt?"

Akira faked a cough.

Isumi caught up a beat later, smiling at Hikaru.

"Hey Shindou- Oh. You brought Touya-kun." He paused.

"In a-"

"Yes, I'm wearing a T-shirt. Shindou made me. Let's please move on."

Hikaru patted Akira on the back a little too hard. "It's okay, Touya. They're surprised because you look so cool."

He froze. "You think I look... cool?" He said, raising a hand to his face, and turning slightly pink.

Staring at Akira, Waya leaned over to Isumi and whispered "Plus one." Isumi nodded.

"Let's go, let's go, I want to go drink a bubble tea!" Hikaru shouted, pushing Akira towards the intersection.

"Shindou! I can walk on my own, stop shoving!"

Waya and Isumi shrugged at one another, and followed.

In the cafe, they sat at a table by the window, and ordered quickly.

"Strawberry milk tea. With tapioca please!" Hikaru requested, "and fried potatoes!"

"Um, just regular milk tea for me. And a sweet bun, please?" Waya said.

"Hmm," Isumi began, "milk coffee, and a red bean bun, please."

Akira cleared his throat. "Just green tea for me, please."

His three companions stared.

"What?"

"No wonder you're so skinny," Waya said.

"Skinny- hey, I'm just not very hungry, is all!"

"Is that all?" the waitress asked.

"It is," Akira said, and she left.

Waya continued, "Akira, you don't go out and eat snacks because you're hungry."

"I am," Hikaru interjected.

"You always are, Shindou," Waya and Akira said at the same time.

"But anyway, just having green tea is boring. You can have that anytime."

"Shindou," Akira said, glaring at Waya while he said it, "do _you_ think I'm boring?"

Hikaru looked up from the menu he was still drooling over. "What? No, I don't think you're boring. But getting green tea at a cafe definitely is."

Akira seethed, relinquishing that victory to Waya.

Isumi leaned over and whispered in Waya's ear, "Minus one."

°•°•°•°•°

Touya Koyo arrived home from his match with Ogata Seiji at 7:15.

"Has Shindou-kun come?" Kouyo asked his wife.

"Ah," she said, "He and Akira were here this afternoon. Shindou asked that I tell you he apologizes for having to miss his study session with you this afternoon. They were going out with some friends tonight."

"Ohhhh," Sai sighed. "But I wanted to play Hikaru tonight..."

"I'm sorry, Fujiwara," Kouyo thought.

As they walked back to the playing room, Sai continued, "It's been almost two days."

"I know, Fujiwara. I'm sure you will have a chance to play with him tomorrow."

Sai continued to shuffle around, pouting, for a few minutes as Kouyo began to recreate his game with Ogata.

"Fujiwara, what did you think of this move Ogata-san made?" he said, pointing to white's fourteenth move.

Sai turned and kneeled down to look. "Oh, oh, that one. It was very good because..."

As Sai's focus shifted away from missing Hikaru and back to the game in from of them, Koyuo began to wonder why he had been selected to host Sai at all. While he had desired to play with Kouyo greatly, Sai's primary focus still seemed to be on nurturing, protecting, and watching over Hikaru. He was always saying out loud "I wonder what Hikaru's doing," and "I wonder if he's playing a great game right now." Why didn't he just go back to Hikaru for the year?

"But the next move he made didn't support it nearly enough," Sai continued. "I thought he was doing something really intelligent, but he couldn't follow through. I thought, for a moment, he might be fooling us with that next move, like Hikaru does when he puts down a piece that looks like a mistake..."

Every game they played or discussed managed to turn back to talk of Hikaru. Was that how Sai had planned spending his final year on Earth? Doting on Hikaru?

"Fujiwara," Kouyo said.

"Yes?"

"Why did you choose me?"

Fujiwara fidgeted, shifting his weight between his knees. "Why? Because I felt that you were closest to the Hand of God. You begged so earnestly to play me a second time, you seemed as though you were the perfect host for my final year."

"Buy why me, and not _Shindou Hikaru_?"

"Shindou...?"

"Though you've chosen me as your host, he's the only one you think of. It seems to me that it would have made more sense to stay with him again."

"Touya-kun, I, I'm sorry, I don't mean to offend you by being so preoccupied-"

"I'm not offended, Fujiwara. And I'm not jealous. I just want to know if you're sure you made the right decision."

Fujiwara gripped his fan and loked down at it. "Absolutely," he replied, firmly.

Kouyo crossed his arms, and leaned back a little.

"I definitely made the right decision," he affirmed. "I was responsible for guiding Shindou to go, to your son, and finally, to view the game that we first played together online. That was the end of my task."

"I see," Kouyo said.

"But staying after that point- it would only be a burden to him. To keep me a secret, to allow me to play, those would all get in the way of him continuing to develop as a go player."

"This makes sense."

"But... he is dear to me." Sai put a hand against his heart. "We spent years side by side. I watched him evolve from a snappy, selfish child, to a mature, terrifying master of go. While I know that my time of guiding him is done, he... he is hard to let go from my heart."

"I think," Kouyo began, very seriously,"that if what you say is true, your remaining time here on Earth would be best spent focused on enjoying yourself and playing as many exciting games as possible. And not focusing on doting on Shindou."

Sai nodded wistfully.

"You have been guided by God carefully up until now. I'm sure, by the time you are to leave again, you will be prepared to leave him, this time. You'll know, somehow, that he will be well cared for when you say your final goodbye."

Sai nodded again. "You're right."

"Let's play another quick game together, and then I think you have a match with someone named Suyon from Korea at 8:00."

"Right," Sai said, smiling, though a little sadly.

°•°•°•°•°

When their orders arrived, Akira was still a little ticked off that Hikaru hadn't defended him in the green tea scuffle. As well as he knew that Hikaru wasn't responsible for defending him or anything, he was in a very unfamiliar, uncomfortable environment, with two people we hasn't sure even liked him, and on top of that, he felt as if they were scrutinizing him somehow. He was in uncomfortable clothing, being criticized for his food choices, so couldn't Hikaru have helped out just a little bit there?

He hadn't yet let off that steam when Hikaru nudged him with his elbow.

"Hey, try it," he said, sliding his pink tea towards Akira.

Akira glanced down at it, and back up at Hikaru. He pushed it back and said, politely, "no thanks."

"Hey, come on, Akira, it's way more exciting than your stupid green tea."

Akira's eyebrow twitched. Still jabbing at his choice of tea? "No thank, you, Shindou. I's rather avoid your cooties. I'd rather not catch the _stupid_."

Waya let a unpolite, surpressed chuckle escape and Isumi elbowed him.

"Hey!" Hikaru shouted. Akira pretended to be unaffected.

"Jerk," Hikaru mumbled.

Waya and Isumi looked at each other, thinking the same thing. 'Minus two points!'

After eating, they made their way back to the Sega arcade building.

"I want to play the dinosaur shooting game!" Hikaru declared.

"I'll play with you," Waya said.

They put their money in "The Lost World" and picked up their guns. It began, and as it progressed, the two erupted in a chorus of "Yeah!"s, "Aww!"s and "Crap!"s.

Isumi and Akira stood back during this spectacle. Akira glanced up at Isumi once and a while, and Isumi snuck glances down at Akira. Occasionally, they would meet eyes at the same time, and begin a short battle to see who would turn away first.

Akira always won. He's wasn't sure what Isumi was trying to figure out, but he wasn't going to let him do it without a fight.

"Awww! Shindou!" Waya cried, slamming his gun back into the game holster. "You had a perfect shot!"

"Lay off Waya, you died too!"

"You guys got a good score though," Isumi said.

Hikaru turned to Akira. "You gonna play a game, Touya?"

"Oh, I don't know Shindou...I..."

"I don't think Touya is the gaming type, Shindou," Waya said snidely.

Hikaru glared at Waya.

"You're not helping," Hikaru interjected, "We're teaching Touya how to have fun."

Waya and Isumi both cocked their heads slightly, not having realized that their night out had actually been some sort of training mission.

"Shindou, it's okay, I'm having fun. I don't need to play-"

"Yes, Touya, we're at an arcade, and you need to play at least one game. Here," he said, dragging Akira by the hand to the next row of games,"How about this drum game?"

"Shindou!" Touya shouted. He looked up at Hikaru and then pointed with his eyes at Hikaru's hand.

Waya and Isumi were wide eyed in observation of Hikaru's sudden hand-holding.

"Oh, sorry, Touya," Hikaru said, releasing Akira's hand. Akira's cheeks were red, and he huffed in disapproval.

"Plus and minus, I think" Isumi whispered.

"Yeah, I think those cancelled each other out."

"Taiko Drums?" Akira read from the game headboard.

"Yeah, yeah. Isumi, come play him, you like this game, right?"

"Ah, yeah, Isumi replied, walking over to stand next to Akira.

"I don't know, guys," Akira said.

"It'll be fine, Akira. Don't worry about beating him, just have fun. You can do the easy setting," Hikaru encouraged, popping some 100 yen pieces into the machine.

"Shindou!" Akira growled, pretty much at his limit. What was he supposed to do with these sticks? He didn't have any rhythm! This was only going to be embarassing.

Hikaru walked Akira through the difficulty selection process, and Isumi picked the song.

He didn't do too bad. Really, you couldn't call his drumming good, but if you looked just the right way, you could call it "holding his own." In the end, it was pure nerves keeping him afloat.

Toward the end of the song, though, he had lost sight of the rhythm.

"Come on, Akira! You can pick it back up!" Hikaru cheered.

"No... way... Shindou!" He huffed between frantic, mistimed beats.

"Come on! Like this!" Shindou said, and proceeded to stand behind his friend, wrap his hands around Akira's, and drum for him.

"Shindou! What the hell!?"

"Shut up and play! I'm helping you!" Hikaru shouted back.

Akira turned bright red, and Isumi nearly dropped his drumsticks.

Hikaru's coaching had brought Akira back in rhythm just in time for the end of the song. While awkward, Akira had resigned himself to the fact that Hikaru was holding his hands and helping him drum, and was kind of excited to get back up to speed. When the song ended, he turned to Hikaru. Hikaru was smiling.

"There, you did it!" he beamed.

Hikaru really was not phased by the whole thing. He didn't realize he had invaded Akira's personal space at all. Maybe that was okay. In the end, Akira didn't feel as offended as he thought he should have.

He sighed a defeated sigh. He put away the sticks, leaned back against the machine, and, with a gentle, exhausted smile, punched Hikaru lightly, playfully, in the side of the head.

"Idiot," Akira said.

Hikaru laughed, having no idea what he was being chastized for, but feeling really good for having helped his friend. At least, that's what he thought the rush was from.

Isumi just turned to Waya, who had his jaw dropped, and mouthed, eyes wide, "Plus a million."

The night wore down, after a few games and a session in the karaoke room in which Akira refused to sing, and no one forced him to, because really, he had been through enough already.

After Hikaru played one more game with Waya (apparently it was tradition for them to finish their evening by playing a fighting game against one another) they decided the night was a wrap. They took the stairs down from the second floor, so they had to walk through the ground floor- the crane machine floor- to get out. The boys walked through, uninterested in the wares, because they were not girls, otaku, or a boyfriend trying to win a giant stuffed cat for their girlfriend.

Except for one little problem. It was small, stuffed, green, and had a dog face.

Hikaru was talking so animatedly to Waya and Isumi that they were three or four yards across the floor before thy noticed that Akira was missing. They turned to find him frozen in front of one of the machines.

Hikaru ran back over to get him. Akira was staring at the machine, biting his lip.

"Akira...what are you..."

"Oh, Shindou, I'm sorry, I..." his eyes widened as he noticed Waya and Isumi were walking over as well. Akira turned to Hikaru very seriously and said, frantically, "Hikaru, I am about to lie and I need you to roll with it, please, I'll do anything, just play along."

Hikaru was terrified by Akira's sudden seriousness. "Y- yeah. Sure."

"Touya-kun, what are you doing?" Waya asked, wandering over.

"Oh, uh," Akira began, trying to hide a bashfulness. "Uh, I was thinking, Hikaru, about how your friend Akari really...um...likes Mameshiba."

Isumi raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, they were standing in front of a machine with medium-sized stuffed Mameshiba mascots.

"Wha- oh, yeah. She does," Hikaru faked. "But, um... I think she has that one already."

Akira narrowed his eyes at his friend. He had apparently missed the point of the plan, but then again, how would he have known Akira's real intentions. He decided to let it go.

"Oh, okay. Let's go then." Akira crossed his arms and hurried past the other boys, walking out. Hikaru jogged over to catch up to him.

Waya and Isumi shook their heads.

"I don't even know what that was about," Waya said.

"Yeah," Isumi concurred. "No points there."

They hung back for a moment, and Waya said "So, what's the final tally?"

"Hmm," Isumi said, thinking. "If we score them 5 points for the drum thing, that's ten positive for gay, and six minus."

"Huh," Waya said. "Not overwhelming results. Shindou only called him Akira twice, too, so it's not like that's a regular thing."

"Yeah, I don't think we can be sure yet. They may not be gay for each other. They may just be _totally wierd_."

"I'm inclined to agree with that," Waya said, shrugging, and walking over to join the others.

They finally parted ways at 9:45, and Hikaru and Akira jumped on a subway back towards their homes. They managed to find a seat, and Akira heaved an utterly exhausted sigh.

"I'm sorry if that was frustrating for you, Touya."

"No," he said, "I had fun."

"Oh, good," Hikaru replied, relieved. "So...can I ask?"

"What?"

"About the Mameshiba machine? What was that all about?"

Akira blinked and turned pink.

"Um...well," he stammered, buying time. "I...Shindou. Youcan'ttellanyoneokay?"

Hikaru nodded.

"I...kind of...well. I kind of reallylikemameshiba." Akira was turned away from Hikaru as he said it, and he only barely said it.

"What?"

"I like Mameshiba!"

"You _wanted_ the Mameshiba plushie? For _yourself_?"

"Y- yes! Shindou! Don't laugh at me." He looked up at Hikaru, bashful. He added really, really quietly, "I think he's really cute."

Hikaru tried desperately to hold in the rolling laughter that was dying to be let out. He knew it would only infuriate his friend. It wasn't that a boy liked a mascot, or wanted a plushie, that was funny. But that it was _Akira_, the serious, go-determined, straight laced Akira, who was being remarkably bashful about how cute Mameshiba was, that was.

Hikaru thought something he would have never, ever thought would pass his mind.

Akira was _adorable_.

He was reminded of Sai's giddy outbursts. Sai could be determined, serious, and downright frightening when it came to go. But other times, he was goofy as a puppy. Hikaru was filled with that warm feeling that he got when Sai was adorable. The feeling didn't demean Akira's dignity. It actually made him a more attractive- and more personable- personality.

"I think that's really cute, Akira," Hikaru said quietly, with a warm smile as he looked into the distance.

A soft feeling washed over Akira's heart. He said it again- he called him, absent-mindedly, by his first name. He would have raised a fuss over it, finally, but as he looked at Hikaru's face- radiating a happiness that was calm and safe, he decided he didn't care anymore. Being called by his first name made Akira felt like he was closer to Hikaru. Like a part of his family.

The next stop was Akira's transfer. He would have to leave Hikaru here. As the train continued toward the next stop, Akira stood up and went to the door, and Hikaru followed to say goodbye. They were silent as the train began slowing to the platform, with a hiss and a quiet rumble.

Akira waited until the moment the doors opened to say it.

He met Hikaru's quiet, calm eyes, and with a gentle smile, he said,

"Thank you, Hikaru. For a fun night."

And with that, he hopped off the train and into the night.

Hikaru was left a little bit stunned, watching the doors close back up on him. The train pulled back out, and Hikaru felt his face get a bit warm.

Akira had called him "Hikaru."

...and it had felt like he had just been given a good-night kiss.

°•°•°•°•°

Akira quietly closed the front door and pulled off his shoes. He could see light coming from his father's playing room down the hall.

"Akira, is that you?" Kouyo said.

"Yes, father," he replied, walking over to his door.

"Did you have fun tonight?"

"I did. I never really do stuff like that, but it was kind of fun."

Kouyo smiled. "I was surprised when your mother said you went out. But I'm glad. You work so hard, it's good to relax sometimes."

Akira smiled back. "Thank you, father. And Fujiwara-sensei, how are you?"

"He's fine," Koyuo said. "He beat a very volatile Korean child on NetGo," he paused, verbally transcribing what Sai was saying in reply. "And then he played a random challenge, but it wasn't very challenging." Another pause. "Sai was wondering how Shindou's game was."

"Ah, well, he won- we both did. But, that's all I know. We hadn't reviewed today's games. He will try to be here tomorrow night, maybe he can tell you about it then."

Kouyo nodded.

"Do you wan't to play a game with Fujiwara or myself?" Kouyo asked.

"No thank you. I'm quite tired, so I think I'm going right to bed."

"That's a good idea," Kouyo agreed.

Akira sat awake in bed for a while before he could fall asleep. He wondered over and over if it was out of line to call Hikaru by his first name. Sure, Hikaru had used Akira's name about five times by now, but he didn't seem to notice. Akira had said "Hikaru" with definite intention. He had felt flushed as he walked away, as if he had done something very bold and exciting.

Soon, very soon- and Akira would first- they would realize what that intention was. And what it had to do with Sai.

Hikaru, on the other hand, sat up in bed ruminating over why Waya and Isumi were acting so weird, and whispering to each other all night. We wondered for a moment if maybe they were gay.

Then he shrugged it off, and fell promptly asleep to thoughts of tomorrow's game with Sai.

°•°•°•°•°

End of Chapter four.

Regarding Chapter five: Sai is learning to let go of Hikaru, but Hikaru is having a harder time.

Is it time for Akira to put things together and reveal the nature of his heartache?

Thanks to everyone for following along!


	5. Chapter 5 Goodbye

God's Reward: Chapter 5

When the Meijin league game between Touya Akira and Hikaru Shindou finally came, the whole Japanese world of go was watching. Not literally, but a reporter _was_ waiting outside the playing room to interview the victor. They had both been totally undefeated in the Meijin League games until this point, and today, one of them would have their winning streak broken.

They both gave all of their strength in all of their games, but this one was particularly heavy, and not just because the Meijin streak depended on it.

Hikaru yearned to show Sai how he had improved, and that he could beat Akira. And this was his mistake- playing for Sai, instead of Akira, the person right in front of him.

And Akira, what was he playing for? Whether or not he was concious of it, he was playing to show Shindou that _he_ was the one at his side now, not Sai.

And because he was focused on communicating to his opponent, and not someone else, he won.

But with spirits high, and the playing fierce, it was no weak game. It was extraordinary. As with every official game they'd played together (Hikaru had actually never won any of them), Hikaru was only bitter for a moment before the rush of playing such an exciting, high level game took over. When Hikaru looked up at Akira, after resigning, he was smiling that satisfied smile reserved only for games like these. Akira lived for that smile, and he smiled back, hoping Hikaru could read the message that went with it:

This is what we can do _together_. I will lead you forward Hikaru. We will walk with path with one another, never alone again.

They hadn't noticed that just about every other person whose game had ended was huddled around them, in awe of the miraculous game. They were discussing, scribbling, bickering, and when Akira began to clear his stones, many of the onlookers dispersed, looking for paper to write down the kifu on.

Leaving took a long time, as both Akira and Hikaru were highly congratulated on their way out, and once out, Akira was asked for a few words by a reporter. Someone Hikaru didn't know offered to take Akira out for a drink to celebrate, but he declined. Hikaru was eager to get free and show the game to Sai. Even if he had lost, it was a game to be proud of.

Finally, they escaped, and made it to the subway station. They even managed to grab seats.

Akira's heart was light as a feather. He had been determined to show Shindou his strength, to reaffirm his place as Shindou's rival, and he did it.

"That really was a wonderful game, Shindou," Akira said.

"Yeah," Hikaru replied, staring at clenched fists. "I can't _wait_ to tell Sai about it."

Akira's heart dropped.

"Sai?"

"Yeah? He'll be really impressed!"

"Ah," Akira said, slouching into the seat. "I'm sure he will."

Finally, Akira realized the source of the pain. It was Sai. Ever since he came back, Shindou had only wanted to impress Sai, and Akira felt pushed to the side.

Wasn't he being chased any longer?

°•°•°•°•°

"Hey, hey, wait 'till you see!" Hikaru hollared, kicking his shoes off at the doorway of the Touya household.

"Shindou-kun?" Kouyo called in response from the playing room.

Hikaru eagerly ran down the hall to greet him- Sai, really, but Kouyo as the conduit. Behind him, Akira was slowly closing the door and untying his shoes standing up. He began to hear the incomprehensible murmur of Hikaru's excited retelling, punctuated with high yelps of indignation, likely at descriptions of moves Akira correctly read when Hikaru had hoped he wouldn't. But he was unmoved- that excitement had worn off on the train.

He pulled off his shoes and set them neatly against the egde of the step. He observed Shindou's shoes, thrown randomly on the landing, one actually sitting on top of one of his father's geta.

'Who does he think he is,' Akira thought,'throwing his shoes all over my house?'

But what he was really thinking was, 'Who does he think he is, acting as though I wasn't part of this game?'

He kind of felt as though Shindou had thrown his shoes all over _him_. Like a floor mat.

"Akira-kun, you're here too, right?" His father shouted.

"Yes," he said. "I'll be there in a minute."

He picked up one of Hikaru's shoes, and, gripping it for a minute, fought the overwhelming urge to open the door and throw it out into the yard. After a deep sigh, he placed it down next to his, neatly, along with the other.

He stood in the doorway for just a moment longer, staring at the flickering shadows in the distance of the hall. He didn't want to see Hikaru giddily telling Sai about his game.

Akira felt an emptiness in his stomach. He looked down and put his hand there. This was a feeling he got when something sad was about to happen. As if the body didn't know time, and was preparing for future grief even if the brain didn't know it was coming.

He clenched his fists, and walked to the playing room. He stood in the doorway, and met eyes with his father. Kouyo smiled. Akira turned to watch Hikaru. He was laughing, and talking to Sai without a break. To him, Koyuo and Akira weren't even in the room.

Koyuo could see the anxiety washing over his son.

"Akira-kun, are you well?"

Hikaru kept talking, but he was unable to notice that Sai had shifted his attention to Akira as well. And Akira was fixated on Shindou.

"...and thats why I made that move! I gained so much territory! Don't you think it was really smart, Sai?" Hikaru looked up, having forgotten that he couldn't see his audience, and then realized that the room was eerily silent. As he slowly turned his head to pan the room, he could already feel the mounting terror emanating from Akira. Hikaru caught a quick, jumping breath.

"Touya...kun. Are you...crying?" Hikaru eked out.

Sure enough, tears were rolling silently down Akira's face as he stared at Hikaru. Suddenly self aware, he glanced at his father, and then, with a quick "excuse me," he ran down the hall to his room.

'How disgusting,' he thought. 'I'm so jealous, I can't even speak.'

Hikaru looked back at Kouyo, but was likely speaking to Sai when he said "Should I..."

"Hikaru!" Sai shouted, "Why do you even have to ask!" but Hikaru couldn't hear it.

Kouyo stood up.

"Hikaru! what have you done?" Sai ranted. "You need him, Hikaru, go to him! You can't let him fall away!"

Kouyo ignored Sai, and shook his head at Hikaru. He proceeded to follow Akira himself.

"Touya, what are you doing?" Sai wailed. "Hikaru needs Akira!"

Koyuo stopped in the middle of the hall and looked Sai in the eyes.

"No, right now, _Akira_ needs _Hikaru_. And Hikaru doesn't understand that yet."

Sai tucked his chin to his chest shamefully as they resumed walking. He was right, Hikaru might only hurt Akira more if he went after him now. And it explained why Hikaru, usually obsessed with Akira's actions, didn't immediately chase after him. He hadn't been paying attention.

"Akira-kun? May I come in?"

Only silence answered Kouyo.

Why was it his father and not Hikaru? he wondered, a pang of hurt ringing in his chest.

Kouyo and Sai stepped in, and approached Akira, who was sitting against the far wall, his arms wrapped in his legs and his head tucked away in his knees.

"Akira. Son," he began, kneeling on the floor across from him. "Do you want to talk to me?"

Akira had never been one to share his feelings with his father. They had a good relationship, but not that kind of relationship. His father had always been his teacher, not his friend.

He shook his head, face still buried in his limbs.

Kouyo took a deep breath.

"Do you want to speak to Sai?" he asked, with a tinge of nervousness.

"Touya..." Sai said, surprised as the proposition.

Akira lifted his head. What a strange thing to ask, he thought.

"I don't know..." Akira replied.

"I'm sorry that I am in the way," Kouyo said, "but I can do my best to speak for him."

Akira looked at his father.

"W...where is he?" Akira said.

Kouyo gestured to the space to his left.

"O...kay," Akira said.

He tried to fix his eyes on Sai's space, but ended up looking at the wall behind him. He would do his best anyway. Akira cleared his throat.

"Fujiwara..." Akira began.

"Yes, Akira," Sai said, as dictated by Kouyo.

"Why did you come back?"

Sai was taken aback at the bluntness of his question. Surely Akira knew the story of his reward, but he was really asking why he had come back into Shindou's life after his mission was complete.

"I...don't know yet, Akira. But I think I will... we all will, soon."

Akira fell silent, not knowing what else he could say after that.

"Akira-kun, I'm sorry."

"I feel like I've become the ghost." Akira whimpered, head tucked down again.

Sai winced. He could tell how hurt Akira really was. And then he had a thought. It was a painful thought.

"Akira-kun. Did Shindou tell you everything about me?"

Akira nodded.

"Then you know...that we didn't get to say goodbye."

Akira looked up. "Yes, I know."

Sai steadied his breath.

"I wonder, now... if that is why I was really made to return."

Kouyo took a moment before repeating that last line.

Akira looked at his father.

"Sai..." Kouyo said.

No one could ever really know whether the true reason for Sai's return was a good natured reward, or just a continuation of God's plans for Hikaru. Sai had harbored the sinking feeling that he was still a tool in this scheme since he had talked to Kouyo about why he had returned to him and not Hikaru. That disguised as a vacation, he was still being put to work.

"I'm tired," Akira said.

"Alright," said Kouyo, placing his hand on Akira's head. "You sleep. I'll send Shindou home."

Akira nodded. Kouyo let himself and Sai out of the room.

"By the way, Akira," Kouyo said at the doorway.

"I'm very proud of your game today."

Akira smiled, very very gently, at the reminder of what an expression of love felt like.

Kouyo closed the door and looked at Sai.

"Sai, about the game..." Kouyo said.

"Yes, I know," Sai said. "It was amazing."

"The hand of God, Sai..."

"Yes, they will be the ones." The harsh realization washed over Sai. "We could play for a thousand years, Touya, and not be closer to it than they will be in even a few years."

Kouyo sighed.

"We may both be strong, but they have the chemistry. They have the link needed between two people. Not only one of us can reach it. It must be reached together."

Kouyo nodded. "It's disappointing," he said, "to know that your life's work will never be realized."

"But that's not true," Sai said. "I think thats the real point of my place back on earth. My hand will reach it through Hikaru. Yours will through your son. Since we've led them to this very moment, to this time, we will be playing the hand of God with them." He smiled. "We are an important part of the plan."

Kouyo smiled, and began walking to the playing room.

"I wonder....if we can be satisfied with that?"

Back in the playing room, Kouyo found Shindou lying on the floor. As he entered, Hikaru lifted himself up and asked "Is he okay?"

Kouyo looked at Hikaru intimidatingly. He sat next to the spot on the other side of the goban, as if it were already occupied.

"Hikaru, we need to resolve something that we didn't get to the first time I was here," Kouyo said. Hikaru immediately knew he was speaking for Sai, who was the one sitting directly across from him. "Hikaru, we need to say goodbye."

Hikaru almost choked with sudden fear. "W...what?"

"Hikaru, we never got to say goodbye to each other. I think we should take the opportunity to do it now, before it becomes too late again."

"Too late... Sai, I thought we still had more than ten moths!"

Sai inhaled deeply. "Hikaru, I may not be able to make you understand why we have to do this now, even with my time remaining. But I need you to accept... that I am no longer your teacher, and you are no longer my host."

"B...but I know that, Sai."

"You know it, but you don't understand it! Hikaru, since I've come back , you've acted like I came back to _you_."

"What do you mean? Sai? Didn't you..."

"No, Hikaru. I didn't come back to you. I came to Touya Kouyo. I came to play him. Not you." Sai bit his lip, knowing what harsh words they were.

Sure enough, Hikaru began to choke up.

"S...Sai...why?" He sniffed, and rubbed his arm over his wet eyes.

"Hikaru, please. For a moment, think of the time I left you. Can you put yourself there again?"

"Yeah," he said. "I've...been there...often."

Sai winced. "Hikaru. Stay there, and listen to me."

Hikaru closed his eyes and heaved a sigh.

"Hikaru, I know you don't think you're ready for this. But I have to go now."

"What...do you mean, Sai?" Hikaru said.

Kouyo jumped when Hikaru spoke. He didn't realize how much Hikaru had actually transported himself to that devastating moment.

"Hikaru. You have grown so much. I knew... I knew when you pointed out Touya Meijin's missed hand in our net game, that I would have to leave."

"You don't have to, Sai, I'm sorry I didn't let you play! I promise I'll let you!"

"No, Hikaru. It isn't my choice, or yours." Sai paused. "You don't need me any more. I am unable to carry you further than where you are now. You have absorbed all that I've taught you."

"But...Sai..." Hikaru whispered. "But I still love you."

The room stood still. Kouyo furrowed his brow at the statement- he felt embarassed to have to be in the middle of this tender, personal moment.

Sai composed himself.

"Hikaru, I know. I love you too. But you love and respect me as your friend and teacher. Like an uncle, or maybe even a father."

Hikaru nodded.

"But now, if I am a father, it is time for me to send you out of the nest."

"But Sai..." Hikaru squeaked, "I'll miss you."

"I know, Hikaru. But listen. I'll tell you one more thing. Even though I'm leaving you, you will never be alone."

"Yeah," Hikaru said, with a tiny bit of a smile. "Because you're part of my go now, right?"

"No." Sai said.

Hikaru stared, gaping.

"Hikaru, someone else is already waiting to guide you where I left off. Someone much more qualified to lead you to the hand of God than I."

"I...I don't understand. No one's stronger than you..."

"Hikaru, please. Do me one favor, so that my time on earth is not wasted."

He nodded.

"When you find him again. Don't let him go. Or you'll never reach it."

Hikaru nodded again, obediantly.

"I... won't let you down, Sai. I promise."

"Hikaru, thank you."

"Thank you, Sai."

"Goodbye, Hikaru."

With that, Hikaru was sent off. He stumbled home in a haze, and fell asleep, peacefully, when he got home. As he fell asleep, his last thoughts were that he would tell his parents about the Meijin game in the morning.

°•°•°•°•°

The next morning, Hikaru got up early and had breakfast with his parents. He told them about the game, and how amazing it was even though he lost. He mentioned that they were writing about it in a magazine, and promised to bring them copies when it came out.

He went to his study group, and walked through the game with his comrades. They discussed it passionately, reconfirming how astounding the quality of the game had been.

Hikaru went back home in the late afternoon. He was struck by the desire to eat with his family again. Perhaps it was guilt catching up to him for spending so much time in another house and not with them. He felt a little freer after the goodbye with Sai. He wanted to treat everyone around him right, because they were the people he was responsible for taking care of. Including Akira. He kind of figured that he hadn't been paying enough attention to him, and felt especially bad that, now that they were real friends, he hadn't gone to talk to him when something was obviously wrong last night.

Hikaru called Akira after dinner, but no one answered. Tomorrow, he decided, he would go back to Akira's home and help him with whatever was troubling him.

But Akira would cut him to the chase.

°•°•°•°•°

The next morning, at about 7:30 Am, there was a knock on the door.

"Touya-kun! Are you alright?" Hikaru's mother said. He looked shaken. But he nodded.

"Hikaru, it's Touya-kun," his mother called.

"Tell him to come in and eat with us!" Hikaru shouted from the breakfast table.

"Please, Shindou Okaa-san. Could you ask him to step outside? I need to talk to him privately."

She nodded, worried, but complied.

"T...Touya..." Hikaru said, closing the door. "You look... terrible."

"Shindou..." Akira began, breaking up immediately. He choked on a sob.

"Akira, I'm- I'm so sorry I ignored you!" Hikaru cried, putting his hands on Akira's drooping shoulders. "Please..."

Akira lifted his head just long enough for the tears to begin flowing, and he leaned into Hikaru's shoulder.

Hikaru wrapped his arms around his weeping friend. "I'm sorry, Akira. It won't happen again."

"Hikaru...he's dead," Akira sobbed.

"He's..." Hikaru grabbed Akira and pulled him away to look at his face. "Who? Who's dead!?"

But Hikaru already knew the answer. Akira's body was limp in his arms, his face read with sorrow and his eyes sleepy with exhaustion.

"My father."

°•°•°•°•°

End of chapter five.

T_T

Chapter six will be the final chapter.

I hope you'll find the conclusion satisfying.


	6. Chapter 6 A Promise

God's Reward: Chapter 6- The Final Scene

Akira's father...dead?

Akira heaved, and leaned forward, too far.

Hikaru immediately put his arm around Akira and half-carried his limp-bodied, red-faced friend into his house. Hikaru's mother was waiting in the hall, and put her hand over her mouth with a tiny gasp when she saw them come in.

"Hikaru, what-"

"I'll tell you later, mom." Hikaru proceeded to help Akira up the stairs.

"Um, actually, Mom, could you bring some water up for Akira, please?"

"O- of course," she said.

Hikaru set Akira on his bed and, sitting next to him, rubbed his hand on his back, comfortingly. Akira hiccuped and sobbed with fluctuating intensity, as many minutes passed in what was otherwise silence.

After about ten minutes, Hikaru said, "Shouldn't you be with your family, Akira?"

Akira. Every since he got here, Hikaru called him that every time.

"I was just going to tell you...and go, but..." he choked on a sob again.

"Lay down, Akira," Hikaru said.

Touya started sobbing louder. Not because of grief over his father, but because of the little explosions of joy he got every time Hikaru called him by his first name. He put his face in his elbow to hide it. He was so embarassed, but so, _so_ happy.

"You stay as long as you need to, okay?" he said.

Akira nodded, his sobs unbreaking. Hikaru gave him time to cry it out. He probably didn't allow himself to cry in front of his mother.

After a few minutes, Hikaru's mom brought water, and Hikaru made him drink. Hikaru walked his mother back to the hall, and whispered, "His dad died. I'm taking care of him," and shut the door on her.

He sat down next to Akira, and noticed that taking a drink seemed to have calmed him, just a little bit.

"Can you tell me about it?" Hikaru asked, his voice high, as if to ask if Akira could handle it.

"Yeah," Akira said. He felt so exposed there, crying in front of Hikaru. Akira had seen Hikaru cry loads of times, but this was the first time for the other way around.

"Yesterday morning, mom found him. He was sitting at the goban. He had a heart attack."

Hikaru awkwardly stroked Akira's hair as Akira sobbed, very quietly.

"They were replaying our game," he continued.

"What?"

"On the goban. He reconstructed our Meijin game."

"A...ah." Hikaru shook his head. He wasn't sure why he had hoped there would be a message left behind, or an amazing final game or something.

Akira was steady now. He couldn't believe that his father was dead, of course, but he felt better now that he was with Hikaru.

"Hikaru," Akira said wiping his swollen eyes, "I....don't want to make it hard on you, but, I don't want to be selfish, either..."

Hikaru shook his head and said "It's okay."

"B...but you expected another ten months. For...again..."

Hikaru shook his head again. "I'm sorry, Akira. I got a privilege when you didn't."

What?

"I got to say goodbye."

Akira was still, frozen in his spot. He said goodbye? Did he know...did he _know_ that they were leaving the next day? He knew and didn't say _anything_? Anger rose to the top of his guts.

"You! You _KNEW_?" he finally shouted.

Hikaru jumped up. "NO! No, I promise. I didn't know they were going to go. I swear I didn't, Akira, please believe me."

He was earnest. Akira could see it. He exhaled sharply, and his fury left with his breath.

"I didn't know. But Sai... before I left, he made me say goodbye. But he... he made me say good bye a year ago."

Crap, this sounded strange.

"When he left the first time. He wanted us to say goodbye, then. In that time."

Akira sighed. Sai had mentioned that they didn't get to say goodbye that first time, and that Hikaru had never really recovered. Sai had also said that maybe his mission had to do with resolving that.

Could that have been...the truth?

Hikaru suddenly leaned over and lay down next to Akira, resting his chin on Akira's head. He put his arm over Akira's shoulder, hugging him, and closed his eyes.

"Hi...Hikaru?"

Akira could tell that Hikaru was feeling the pain, despite the fact that he had gotten to 'say goodbye.' It still hurt. He had finally stopped being too concerned about Akira to feel that ache of his own loss.

Hikaru was close. Akira was face to face with Hikaru's chest, and he could see it rise and fall gently, and jerk with hitching, silent sobs.

Akira raised his arm and put it around Hikaru's waist.

"I'm sorry," Akira whispered.

"I'm sorry too," Hikaru answered.

Akira's hair was soft on Hikaru's cheek. It was dark and silky, and smelled clean. Hikaru had never been so near to someone. But he had never felt so safe.

"I think my father said goodbye, too," Akira said. "In a way."

Hikaru still trembled, silently.

"He said, before he left my room, that he was proud of my game." Akira paused. "But it felt as if he was saying 'I will always be proud of all of your games.'"

Akira's tears continued to fall. Despite trying to comfort himself, he would still never see his father again. He was too young to never see his father again.

Hikaru gave him a squeeze around the waist. Akira responded with a tight, quick hug back.

"But the game..." Akira whispered. "If they knew it was coming, why play that game last?"

And then it hit Hikaru.

He and Akira were responsible for taking over where Sai and Kouyo had left off.

Akira felt Hikaru's body tighten all at once.

"A...akira!" he said.

"Hikaru, what?"

"I'm so sorry!" he replied, letting tears flow and pulling Akira into him in a tight embrace.

Akira sighed, though a little smothered, and patted his friend's back. "It's okay. You can cry. You lost somone too."

"No, no," Hikaru went on, "I'm sorry for everything. For not telling you the truth about Sai. For ignoring you when Sai came back. For not chasing you when I knew something was wrong" He heaved. "So many things happened to you and I wasn't even paying attention!"

"Hikaru, calm down! It's okay. I forgive you! I'll always forgive you. Always." Akira closed his eyes and hugged Hikaru with all the strength he could muster.

Hikaru responded with a squeeze.

"Hikaru, even though we both called one another rivals, I was afraid I would always be second to Sai. But, I wanted to tell you... even before this..." he trailed off, and they pulled back so Akira could look him in the eyes.

"Even if Sai comes and goes for the rest of your life, I will be here. I'm always right in front of you. I want you to see me. Only me."

Hikaru blinked tears out of his eyes.

"Chase only me, and we will never be alone."

With that, Hikaru's heart skipped a beat, and he connected everything Sai had said the other night.

Akira was that person with whom he would reach the hand of God.

Hikaru reached down and took Akira's hand firmly in his own.

Akira turned redder, because for some reason, this tiny gesture felt very intimate, despite the fact that their faces and bodies were only a couple inches away from one another. But he could tell that Hikaru's spirits had rebounded. He was relieved.

"When's the funeral?" Hikaru asked.

"All that stuff starts in four days."

Hikaru sat up, hand still gripping Akira's, and said, "Let's go tell my mom that I'll be gone for a while, okay?" and he stood up, pulling a wobbly Akira with him. He wasn't sure if he wanted his hand back or not.

"What?" Akira asked.

"I'm coming with you. I'm going to support you while you go through this," he said, and he began yanking Akira through the door and down the stairs.

"Hikaru! You can let go of my hand now, I'm okay," Akira said.

Hikaru stopped, and turned to his friend. "No, I can't. I promised." He paused, having consciously omitted '_Sai_.' "I promised, that once I found you again, I would never, _ever_ let you go."

Akira wondered, for a fleeting moment, if, instead of Sai and and his father, God was actually rewarding _him_.

°•°•°•°•°

Weeks later, Akira 5-dan won the challenger spot for the Meijin title. And then he won the title itself.

Many months later, Hikaru, in an unheard of feat for a 3-dan, somehow managed to barely win the Honinbou title.

Waya and Isumi stopped trying to figure out if Touya Mejin II and Shindou Honinbou were gay. It didn't matter, because whatever they were, they were inseparable. Totally wierd. But inseparable.

However, in a bizarre twist of fate, Waya and Isumi did admit their feelings for one another about eight months later.

°•°•The End•°•°

Thank you for reading through until this point.

Please send me comments and critiques so that I might bring you more well written fanfiction in the future.

**There will be a sequal**, so if you're interested in reading on, please follow me or check back soon for **"Growing Together."**


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